High-Speed Crash Involving Child, Father Detained

A Bryan man is in police custody and his two-year-old son in the hospital after a chase on Highway 6 in Brazos County.

The incident shut down northbound traffic for almost an hour Saturday afternoon.

DPS Troopers say 22-year-old Curtis McCoy of Bryan led them on a 30 mile chase from Grimes County into south Brazos County Saturday afternoon that ended with a crash that could have been catastrophic but wasn't.

Debris littered Highway 6 in Brazos County after a high-speed pursuit that ended in the suspect crashing his Chevrolet Caprice.

Trooper Ken Balzekas initiated the chase after he says 22-year-old Curtis McCoy was speeding on Highway 6 near the Grimes and Waller County lines.

"We were up near 120 during the pursuit but when we started coming into the thick of traffic he was forced to slow down due to traffic and that's probably what saved him from any serious injury," said Trooper Balzekas.

During the pursuit Trooper Balzekas noticed a small child's head pop into view.

"I didn't want to hurt the child inside the car," he said.

Troopers further northbound decided to deploy spike strips to bring the pursuit to an end.

"They attempted to go around the spikes when he did that his back end of his vehicle broke loose and it sent him into a side skid he actually skid right into the spikes and hit the wall," he said.

Remarkably McCoy and his two-year-old son Curtis Junior escaped injury after crashing into a concrete barrier at an estimated 75 miles an hour.

We're told the child was not only not in a car seat, but wasn't even buckled up.

"Had him, excuse me in his hands at impact into the wall and that's why I said the way it turned out it's, we're pretty lucky," said Balzekas.

Curtis McCoy and his son were both transported to the College Station Medical Center for observation.

Trooper Balzekas tells us they believe McCoy may have a mental illness and had to be restrained after the accident because he was trying to hurt himself.

*Previous Story*A high-speed single vehicle crash sent two people to the hospital Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred at Northbound Highway 6 and F.M. 159. A two year old child was transported to a local hospital as a precaution.

The State Trooper who started the chase told News 3 22-year-old Curtis McCoy of Bryan was driving a Chevrolet passenger car at speeds of more than 120 mph. Traffic on Highway 6 northbound was being rerouted at Westward Ho for about an hour.

The trooper initiated the chase on Highway 6 in Grimes County near the Waller County line because the suspect was allegedly speeding.

Troopers say the suspect's two-year old boy was sitting in his father's lap when McCoy tried to avoid spike strips and crashed into a concrete barrier.

Amazingly both escaped injury but officials on scene say the suspect had to be restrained because he was trying to hurt himself.

Curtis McCoy and his son were both transported to the College Station Medical Center for observation.

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Clay Falls joined the KBTX news family in January 2010 and is excited to be covering the Bryan/College Station area. Prior to joining the Brazos Valley news leader, Clay was a reporter for more than two years with CBS 19 in Tyler-Longview, Texas.